Fence-post.



H. J. FRITZ.

FENCE POST.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9. 1909.

997,053, Patented July 4, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY J. FRITZ, OF BLUFFTON, INDIANA.

, FENCE-POST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1911.

Application filed June 9, 1909. Serial No..501,1-70.

- either as a line post in the erection of fences,

as a gate post where gates are used in fence construction, as a corner post in a fence and for various other purposes to which devices of this kind are applied.

A further object of the invention is toconstruct a fence post which may be laterally adjusted in various directions for the purpose of taking up slack in the wires of which the fence is constructed.

A further object of the invention is to provide supporting means for the post which shall admit of the post being shifted or moved laterally in various directions.

Still further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the general construction and operation of the class of devices to which the invention belongs.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim. I

In the accompanying drawings has bee illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the inventionmay be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a side view of the lower portion of the post and the supporting members. Fig. 2 is a side View partly in section taken at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the supporting members, connected. Fig. 4 1s a top plan view of the supporting members' 1* ig. 5 is a perspective view of the upper or intermediate supporting member. Fig. 6 is a detail. entary view, showing more especially the anchoring'of the securing lugs of the plates upon the under sides of the cleats. I

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference. The improved fence post consists of a tu bular body A which is preferably made of cast or malleable iron or crucible cast steel, said post being preferably tapered slightly in an upward direction. The lower extremity of the post is formed with a foot piece 17 of rectangular outline the two opposite sides of which are beveled at 18, the under side.

of said foot piece being recessed as shown at 19 and the ends, intermediate the beveled sides, being provided with arched notches 20.

B designates a base piece or supporting member consisting of a flat plate 21 vided upon its upper side with parallel cleats or flanges 22, converging upwardly or beveled upon their inner opposing faces for dove-tail engagement-with the beveled sides of a mating member,'such as the foot piece of the post. Theplate 21 is provided adjacent to its four corners with laterally extending lugs or ears 23 having apertures 24 and the under side of the'plate is provided adjacent to its opposite side edges with ribs 25, preferably arranged transversely of the cleats 22, said ribs being extended beneath the ears or lugs 23 which are thereby partially reinforced. Additional reinforcement for the cars 23 is formed by downward projecting lugs 26 formed upon the under side of the plate" 21 parallel to the ribs 25 and extending beneath the ears 23. An opening or aperture 27 is preferably formed in the plate 21 intermediate the cleats 22, and the.

latterare provided each with a series of perforations 28 so arranged that correspondmg perforations in the cleats will be disposed substantially in. registry with each other for the reception of a pin or stop member 29 the purpose "of which will be presently described. I

C designates an auxiliary supporting and adjusting member which is sometimes used in connection with the post and the base member. 7 her comprises a plate 30 provided on its upper side with beveled or dove-tailed cleats 31 having registering apertures 32 for the reception of a pin 33 .serving as a stop member. "The under side or face of the plate 3@ Said auxiliary supporting Inem-' prohas an integral projection 34, substantially of rectangular outline and having its opposite side edges beveled as shown at 35, said beveled side edges being disposed transversely of and substantially at right angles to the cleats 31. An aperture 31 extends through the plate 30 and project-ion 34, and the latter is provided intermediate itsbeveled side edges 35 with an arched recess 37. The projection 34 does not extend the entire width of the plate. 30, but terminates short of one of the side edges of the plate, thus forming an angular recess, 38. The dove-tailed cleats 31 upon the upper face of the auxiliary adjusting member C are adapted to engage the beveled side edges of the foot piece of they post, and the beveled side edges of the projection upon the under face of the member C are similarly adapted for dove-tail engagement with the cleats 22 of the base member B.

When the improved post is to be set or placed inposition for use, a post hole of suitable dimensions is first 'dug in the ground, and said hole is filled with a suitable composition of cement concrete as indicated at 40 in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Anchor bolts 41 are embedded in the cement concrete in suitable positions to engage the apertured cars 23 of the base member B which latter is placed upon and partially embedded in the concrete while the latter is still green, thus causin the ribs 25 and lugs 26 upon the under side of the base plate to be firmly embedded in the cement. Thus, when the nuts 42 are tightened upon the anchor bolts, thebase member B will be very firmly secured in position, it being held with great tenacity by the anchor bolts and by the concrete when the latter sets and becomes hard. When the post is to be utilized simply as a line post or as a gate post, it may be placed with its foot piece 17 in direct engagement with the dovetail cleats 22 of the base member, it being very obvious that the base member is to be sodisposed that the post shall initially engage the pin or stop member 29 when the latter is adjusted in the outermost apertures 28 of the cleats, so that when required the position of the post may be from time to time changed by pushing it against the wires which are supported thereon so as to take up slack in said "wires, reverse movement of the post being prevented by shifting the position of the pin or stop member 29. It may here be stated that the post is provided wit-h a plurality of lugs or projections 43 formed. upon one side thereof in vertical series, said lugs being provided with notches 4A afiording seats for the wires, said notched lugs being obviously formed upon that side of the post which is regarded as the outer side or face.

When the improved post is to be used as a corner post, I avail myself of the auxiliary supporting and adjusting member C which is placed in direct engagement w1th the base member, intermediate the latter and the foot piece of the post the beveled sides of which will then be placed in engagement with the dove-tailed cleats 31 of the auxiliary member. It is evident that adjustment of the post may now be eifected in two directions, substantially at right angles to each other, and it follows that the fence post may be adjusted diagonally to take up slack in the fence wires extending in either direction from the corner. Adjustment of the auxiliary supporting member as well as of the post itself is facilitated by the presence of thearched recesses 20 and 37 which admit of the insertion of a hook whereby the member C of the post may be pulled in the desired direction.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. A fence post embodying the improvements of this invention may be manufactured at a moderate expense and it may, as hereinbefore stated, be successfully used either as a line post, as a gate post or as a corner post. It is obvious that when the device is used as a line post or as a gate post, the intermediate or auxiliary supporting member. C will be dispensed with while when the device is used as a corner 0st, the supporting members B and C are 0th employed, as will appear by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. A fence post constructed according to the principles of this invention is bodily adjustable, laterally, and when equipped with two supporting members B and C it may be moved laterally in two'directions at right angles to each other, thus enabling any desired adjustment to be made for the purpose of taking up slack in the fence wires or for other reasons that may render such adjustment desirable. The construction is simple and inexpensive, and the improved fence post will be found to be thoroughly efficient for the purposes for which it is provided.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A device of the character described, including a post-member having a foot-piece provided with downwardly and outwardly inclined flanges, a supporting member having upwardly and inwardly inclined outer surfaces and superposed upwardly and inwardly inclined flanges having their longitudinal directions arranged at right angles to the longitudinal directions of the inclined outer surfaces of said supporting member and embracing the first-referred to flanges,

a base member also having upwardly and inwardly inclined flanges embracing said outer gaging registering apertures of the upper 10 inclined surfaces; said base member and series.

flanges of said supporting member having. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature alining series of apertures therethrough, the in presence of two witnesses.

" series of apertures in the supportingmemher being arranged at right angles to the HENRY FRITZ' series of apertures in the base member, and Witnesses: v 7 pins, one pin engaging registering apertures JOHN MOCK,

of the lower series and the other pin en- LEON Moox; 

